The incessant abductions, killing of commuters by suspected ‘one-chance’ gangs and recovery of bodies on the roadside of the Federal Capital, Abuja, is unsettling. The residents said it raises concern about the security architecture at the seat of the Federal Government, ABUBAKAR OJIMA-OJO reports.

On January 3, 2026, Nurse Chinemerem Chukwumeziem woke up in the morning, as she did every other day, did her chores, and went off to work. She had no inkling of what fate had in store.

Having completed her afternoon shift after devotingly caring for her patients at the Federal Medical Centre, Jabi, she headed home. Unfortunately, her journey ended on the road.

She boarded a public transport. Unknown to her, it was a vehicle of death. Men of the underworld snuffed life out of her. The deceased, who spent her daily life serving humanity and saving lives, died in the hands of suspected ‘one-chance’ robbers.

The ‘one-chance’ phenomenon is the act of criminals posing as commercial drivers, luring unsuspecting passengers into their vehicles before robbing them violently on motion. Sometimes, they murder their victims and dump the bodies along the highway.

That was what happened to the late Chukwumeziem. Her lifeless and dehumanised body was abandoned on the roadside. It mirrors the heartless and demonic side of man’s inhumanity to others.

Chukwumeziem was not the only victim. Another person, later identified as Princess Mediatrix Chigbo, was found lifeless by the roadside barely a day later, indicating that she may have also fallen victim to ‘one-chance’ hoodlums.

Chigbo, a prominent legal practitioner and rights advocate, was abducted in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while also on transit, killed and dumped along the Kubwa Expressway, near Dawaki opposite Gwarimpa Estate.

Preliminary reports suggested that she may have fallen victim to suspected ‘one-chance’ operators.

The circumstances surrounding her death point to a violent encounter, with her handbag found some distance away from her body, reinforcing suspicions of robbery and a possible push from a moving vehicle.

While the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), FCT Council condemned Chukwumeziem’s killing, describing it as an assault on healthcare workers and humanity, the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Abuja Branch, expressed shock and outrage over Chigbo’s brutal murder by the hoodlums.

These criminal syndicates have been operating freely in the FCT for some years now. For instance, in 2023, a young lady, Greatness Olorunfemi, was pushed down from a moving vehicle along the Kubwa road in Abuja by notorious ‘one-chance’ operators.

She allegedly died after being denied treatment by the Maitama General Hospital, as medics kept requesting a police report.

There was also the case of Freda Arnong, a young lady killed by a ‘one-chance’ criminal group in Abuja on July 2, 2025.

Arnong had left a house fellowship near the CBN Institute in Maitama, Abuja, but fell into the hands of the villains on her way home.

The continuous existence of these criminals has raised questions about the FCT administration’s effectiveness in addressing the issue.

Previously considered one of Nigeria’s safest cities, the FCT is now vulnerable, with criminal activities making daily life uncertain for commuters and residents.

Abuja’s status as the seat of power has only heightened public anxiety, leading many residents to exercise caution, especially at night, to avoid falling victim to ‘one-chance’ gangs.

Despite officials claiming that insecurity in the FCT has reduced in recent years, the persistence of these crimes contradicts those claims.

A 2020 report by SB Morgan ranked Abuja 11th among locations with frequent ‘one-chance’ robbery and abduction cases, signalling the evolving nature of crime in the capital.

Such incidents have been reported across several parts of the city, including Banex Junction, CBN Junction, Airport Road, Central Area, Garki, Nicon Luxury Junction, Kubwa Expressway and Mabushi.

They are also prevalent in satellite towns such as Zuba and along the Gwagwalada–Lokoja highway, raising concerns about the ease with which these crimes are committed without immediate intervention from security agencies.

Survivors recalled being threatened with guns, cutlasses, axes and knives during these terrifying ordeals. Some said the fear of falling victim has forced them into patronising ride-sharing alternatives when commuting within the capital city.

One such survivor, Umar Musa, recounted his harrowing experience with ‘one-chance’ criminals, highlighting the need for constant vigilance among commuters.

Speaking with The Guardian, Musa said the incident occurred on November 14, 2025, at what appeared to be a normal loading point.

“I boarded a vehicle from a place where cars usually pick up passengers. There was a driver and one man in the front seat. Then another man sitting at the back, whom I joined,” he said.

According to him, nothing initially raised any suspicion. “Everything looked normal until we went on motion. A few minutes into the movement, I became uneasy, seeing how these people were staring at me and at each other.

“So, I told the driver I wanted to alight at the next bus stop. All of them got infuriated by this request. At that moment, I sensed that something was wrong.

“I questioned the driver because I felt I had the right to ask what was happening.

“The man sitting at the back started attacking me. I was slapped and beaten,” Musa recalled, adding that as he struggled to regain balance, the one with him pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head.

Musa said the attackers tied him up and forced him to transfer money into an account they provided.

“They made me transfer N500,000 from my account. They searched my pockets, found my ATM card, forced me to reveal my PIN and immediately withdrew the money with the POS in their possession.

“Afterwards, the criminals threatened to kill me, but eventually changed their mind, slowed down and pushed me out of the moving vehicle,” he told The Guardian.

Reflecting on the ordeal, he said the experience changed his perception of safety within the city because the gang looked calm and normal when he boarded the vehicle. According to him, their demeanour makes it difficult to suspect them of being criminals. He, therefore, warned commuters to be extra vigilant.

His words: “People should be extremely careful, even in places that look like regular loading points. Just because many people gather there does not mean it is safe.”

He added that three days after his experience, his brother was also robbed. Musa explained that his brother was travelling in his personal vehicle when it developed a fault around the Gwarimpa-Zuba road.

According to him, two men accosted him as he opened the bonnet to check what the problem was and robbed him.

He stated that the robbers, who wore military camouflage, pretended to be security men with valid identity cards. But it turned out that they were robbers.

They dispossessed the young man of his valuables, seized his iPhone and laptop, while pretending to take him to a nearby barracks to write a report for stopping at a wrong spot. He added that they checked his bank account, withdrew about N3.5 million on the way, and disappeared.

Responding to the menace, the Federal Capital Territory Police Command said it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths in Abuja.

Speaking with The Guardian, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said the police were yet to establish the cause of death. “We are on top of the situation and are still investigating what actually happened,” Adeh said.

She clarified that it was too early to conclude that the victims were killed by suspected ‘one-chance’ operators. “We cannot conclude that the ladies were killed by ‘one-chance’ criminals. We only met the bodies on the road,” she added.

Adeh argued that insecurity in the FCT had significantly reduced compared to previous years. “It is not like before, when we constantly heard about banditry and kidnapping in Abuja,” she said, insisting that no society can completely eliminate crime.

“We are doing our best to manage and reduce it,” she quipped, maintaining that while pockets of concern still exist, the situation has improved.

But a security expert, Patrick Agbambu, warned that the rising activities of ‘one chance’ criminals in Abuja are exposing serious gaps in the Federal Capital Territory’s internal security architecture.

“Abuja is supposed to be one of the safest, if not the safest city in Nigeria. However, for a very long time, the issue of ‘one chance’ has persisted,” he said.

“Recently, especially last year, there were reports of bandits encroaching into some satellite towns and neighbouring communities. Now, the activities of ‘one-chance’ criminals appear to be increasing and have become quite disturbing,” he fumed.

According to him, the Police leadership needs to look inward and identify the challenges. Many people, he said, are losing hope in the police’s ability to provide security.

He stressed that outdated policing methods cannot keep pace with evolving criminal tactics. “If the police continue to use the same strategies they have relied on over the years, they will not achieve better results. Criminals are dynamic; they constantly change their methods,” he said.

Agbambu called for improved intelligence-led policing and a stronger on-ground presence. “The police need to intensify their presence through covert operations, and plain-clothes officers should be assigned to identified routes where these crimes frequently occur,” he advised. “These areas should be properly mapped and patterns closely monitored.”

He warned that security challenges could escalate as political activities intensify ahead of elections. “As electioneering activities draw closer, security challenges are likely to increase. That is why security agencies, particularly the police, must urgently re-strategise,” he stressed.

Apparently in agreement, the national coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), Emmanuel Onwubiko, declared that the daring operations being carried out by ‘one-chance’ armed robbers in the FCT highlight a clear absence of any preventive security strategy in the nation’s capital.

Onwubiko said the federal government does not need to wait for those killings to continue unabated before a major decision is made to secure the life and property of Nigerians in the FCT.

He lamented that the residents of the capital city have been abandoned by politicians who ought to lead the fight against all forms of criminality.